Taxonomy

See L. collurio. Until fairly recently considered conspecific with L. phoenicuroides (which see). Nomenclature of races recently revised#R, as true identity of nominate isabellinus had been confused: race arenarius previously treated as nominate, until examination of the type specimen of isabellinus (collected on non-breeding grounds in W Arabia) showed it instead to be identical to the form hitherto listed as speculigerus; as a result, form previously known as speculigerus becomes nominate, with name speculigerus as a synonym, while form previously treated as nominate takes the oldest available name applicable to it, arenarius. Races form two groups, treated by some Russian authors as two separate species, but nominate race probably intergrades with arenarius in N China (S Inner Mongolia). Three subspecies recognized.